


Same Ending, Different Story

by Jak_Spratt



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26623246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jak_Spratt/pseuds/Jak_Spratt
Summary: A retelling of the final confrontation on the film with Cass replacing Eugene.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 84





	Same Ending, Different Story

The knife found very little resistance going through her right side. She usually wore her armor but after being imprisoned the guards confiscated most of her gear, even the sword she was carrying was stolen. Sure, it still gave her a winning chance against the brainwashed twins at the bottom of the tower but couldn't do anything about the menacing shadow lurking on the back, besides, her focus was on a chained Rapunzel who tried to warn her even though she was gagged.

The pain forced Cassandra to drop the blade but using what little force she had left she hold the assailant by the arm and if the shock of being stabbed wasn't enough she also recognized who did it.

Now that she thought about it, Rapunzel only called that woman 'mother.'

"Mom…?" asked Cassandra despite feeling every inch of the dagger sliding through her flesh.

"Oh… but it is the lousy little… pest!" there was very little surprise on those words, and absolutely no nostalgia, or a pinch of regret, not even when Gothel draw the dagger from the body of her daughter and watched her collapse on the floor.

Rapunzel only looked helplessly, fighting to get to Cass but she only managed to get rid of the gag on her mouth and yell the name of the woman who helped her escape the tower the other day and who got to know too well. Tears rolled down her face seeing Cass holding back the pain while trying at the same time to reach her sword, only for Mother Gothel to kick it far from her.

"Look at what you just did" the older woman said in a matter-of-fact tone, not even bringing the fact that her biological daughter was bleeding out on the floor because of her. There was really no need for that emotional manipulation, maybe it was just a habit of hers, it didn't matter because Rapunzel was too stressed and focused on getting on time to Cass before it was too late. But Mother Gothel wouldn't let her, she gagged her again and grabbed the chain that was holding the arms of her surrogate child and tried to make her go down the stairs. Pascal tried to stop her but there was so much a chameleon could do against a human, and he only got a kick after biting Gothel's dress.

All the time Rapunzel called frantically Cass' name and fought to set herself free. Only when she let herself fall on the floor while Gothel tried to make her stand by pulling the chain.

"Stop… fighting… me!" the older woman ordered.

"No… I won't stop… for every minute, for the rest of my life, I will fight!" Rapunzel bravely yelled at her captor, although a hint of fear was mixed within her words "I will never stop trying to get away from you!" she stopped to catch her breath and changed to a much calmer and bargaining tone "But… if you let me save her, I will go with you."

Mother Gothel released her tight grip on the chain and seemed to consider what was offered to her.

A faint "No… Raps no…" was heard from the other woman who despite her injury tried with all her might to get to Rapunzel.

"I'll never run. I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal her!" Rapunzel pleaded "And you and I will be together. Forever! Just like you want! Everything will be the way it was! I promise."

Gothel looked inquisitively at Rapunzel trying to find a hint that she was lying, but there was no need. She knew her very well and she was telling the truth.

Cass didn't put up a fight while Gothel chained her to the bedpost, she was too weak to do something, but she still had enough energy to shoot a death glare which was then cut off when she felt a wicked hand pushing her wound.

"Don't you get any ideas of following us!" again no hint of motherly love, only a malicious shove while Gothel stood up. Cassandra tried to grab her, then she felt a pang on the side. She was still losing blood and coughed a little while trying to compose herself.

Rapunzel ran to her, a mix of emotions filled her, not deciding what to do first. The answer was obvious, but it didn't cross her mind because of what she was seeing. She wanted to make Cass comfortable, but she needed to see the wound first, there was blood covering it and every second that passed there was more pouring out. Rapunzel offered a quick apology while gathering some of her golden hair to put it on top of the injury, she never healed something so severe before, but if it closed the wound on Cass' hand then it could save her life.

Right?

"Everything's gonna be okay…" she reassured as she tried to get the hair over the wound but was stopped by Cassandra who only repeated the word no. "You have to trust me. C'mon, just believe me…" said Rapunzel as if reasoning that it was a trust issue from the pain Cass was in.

"I can't let you do this!" expressed Cass in a single painful breath.

"I can't let you die…" Rapunzel pleaded, finally understanding what the dying woman meant.

"But if I let you do this…" Cass tried to make her walk out of the deal, knowing full well that Rapunzel will respect it, giving her life to that horrid woman for god knows how long, and the very realistic possibility of that being forever only fueled her to imagine the pain away, grab a sword and plunge it into Gothel's heart, but Rapunzel shushed those ideas away while warmly caressing the woman's cheek. "You… will die." That was the last effort she put into convincing her.

"It's gonna be all right." The sound of her voice and the sweet look on the eyes of Rapunzel could have convinced Cass to do anything for her any other day, but there was not much she could do but return the smile she received.

The hair was set up and the song was about to start, but before she could do that, she heard the raspy voice of Cass calling her.

"Raps… wait…"

Cassandra moved a lock from the face of Rapunzel and moved her hand lazily to the back of her head. Rapunzel closed her eyes and moved her face a little closer to that of her friend, expecting something different that what she got. Instead she felt her hair being grabbed by a hand and in a swift motion Cassandra cut every single one at ear length. The rest of Rapunzel's hair quickly turned brown.

Mother Gothel looked in horror as this happened. She yelled a single no while the rest of the hair that laid on the floor was quickly following along and seemed like being turning off the golden color and changed to a simple brown. It was like a river that was taking away the magic properties of the hair. Gothel tried to pick it up and pulling it away from this phenomenon, but it was all for nothing and every single strand of hair that she picked lost its golden color, and while looking at it while it happened she noticed her right hand changed with it, her skin wrinkled, then her hair turned white, and her body looked more thin. She checked herself on the broken mirror only to find out her worst fear confirmed. She pulled her hoodie as if that would help her hide from what happened to her apparent eternal youth, but she also felt her body getting more fragile and even shrinking. She stepped back not really noticing where she was going or what to do, Pascal quickly acted pulling the bottom of the curtain and making her trip and fall through the window.

Rapunzel reached for her from where she was, trying to have the mercy she was never shown, but even if she were by the window it didn't mattered because Gothel's body never touched the grass at the end of the tower. She turned to dust before that happened.

Rapunzel's emotion about that ordeal took a seat on the back of her head once she saw that Cassandra wasn't moving. She put half of her body on her lap and called out several "Nos" that brought her back from the brink of death, but just for a little while. She begged her to stay with her, and tried to repeat those assuring words from before, but now there was a palpable doubt in them. She grabbed Cass' hand and put it on top of her hair, expecting that what was left somehow still retained some of its healing abilities. She started the enchantment but after the first verse she looked up and realized that the magical glow was missing, then tried to power through it, fooling herself that at any moment it'll do its magic and everything will be fine. Only after hearing Cass calling her she finally got to the conclusion that there was no use.

She desperately looked at Cass, they were again in the same position as before, but despite her fading away Cassandra seemed to be calm and was still able to talk even if it was in a quiet tone.

"I told you to always carry a knife…" she whispered and Rapunzel found the humor in that callback, but was still holding on to the hand and fighting away the tears if only to answer her: "Maybe you'll borrow me yours..."

The ghost of smile appeared on the face of Cassandra while she looked at the girl from the tower before slowly closing her eyes, her lips opened up a little with the intention of continuing the conversation while she rested, but instead she exhaled one last time. Then the hand that Rapunzel held went limp and the head on her lap turned to the side.

The tears on her eyes were about to burst while looking at her saviour. That woman gave her freedom, twice, and her life was taken away in return. She held her body closer in sorrow, caressing her face in a soothing matter, and singing while she did it.

"Heal what has been hurt…

Change the Fates' design…

Save what has been lost…

Bring back what once was mine…

What once was mine."

Now Rapunzel finally breaks and starts crying, the first tear falls on the cheek of Cassandra, and she holds her as close as possible. While she opens her eyes between another set of tears, she notices a familiar golden beam coursing through Cass' body and stopping where her wound was. A yellow energy in the form of petals emerges from it and stretches in random directions, the beams flow like silk on the air and engulfs the room of the tower until they show the very clear image of flower on top of the flesh until it dies out not without giving a small and last flash.

The wound is gone.

Rapunzel looks at it and gives her attention to Cassandra's face, awaiting a response. Her eyelids start to flicker and opening up, her breathing comes back too, her voice is weak but starts to recover very fast.

"Raps?" she asks and gets her name being asked as a response, all the sadness gone and replaced with happiness. "You look even more beautiful as a brunette…"

Rapunzel hugs her, not questioning what just happened and only enjoying the outcome, Cassandra holds her close. Luckily, she regained her force, otherwise that spur of happiness would've meant supporting all of Rapunzel's weight. Even then she hugged her just as hard, enjoying the closeness.

The only moment they separated for a little bit Rapunzel grabbed the face of Cassandra and gave her a quick peck on the lips. She realized what she did only after it happened and tried to apologize.

"I'm so sorry! I-I-I didn't…" she stopped when she felt an index finger above her lips.

"Oh shush!" was the only response Cassandra gave before closing the gap between their lips, fully intended to make the kiss last longer this time. Soon enough Rapunzel put her guilt on the side and put all her energy in the kiss, putting her arms around Cassandra's neck and fully enjoying the act.

After a minute of kissing they separated, something both regret almost immediately, since doing that was something that crossed their minds more than once on their journey, and none of them wanted to stop, but it seemed like Cass wanted to speak:

"Hey, Raps…"

"Yeah?" Rapunzel was agitated and didn't bother to hid it.

"You know how to get down of the tower, right?"

"We'll figure it out." She answered fast and took advantage from their position on the floor to now be the one on top. She didn't wait for an answer and silenced Cassandra with another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't decide between Maximus and Fidella so I simply didn't write them. Maybe if I get inspiration I'll upload something else to the fandom. Got to it a little late though.
> 
> Eugene had to go back to his home planet, and I have to make this clear: but seriously I don't hate him. He's a geniune good man and the canon doesn't bother me, but I still feel there was a unique opportunity to make Rapunzel the first canon bisexual princess, and I knew deep inside me that the house of the mouse wouldn't dare to do it, so I guess the animators made business by themselves and made these two look as gay as possible just shying away from a kiss in the last minute and replacing it by a lot of "YOU'RE MY BESTEST FRIEND!", and if it's not the case then I'd really love to hear from them where can I find a friend who I could smile warmly at, hold as close to me at every moment's notice, and make bedroom gazes every time our eyes meet.


End file.
